The unofficial vote tally in the three-man race was: Doug Heaney, 1,741; Joel Shaffer, 1668, and John Madaras, 1,583. The numbers do not include absentee ballots.

Shaffer,
49, of 4659 Pepperbush Lane, is a math teacher at Portage Northern High
School, and won election to his third term on the board.

He said his highest priorities are promoting early childhood education and promoting staff collaboration.

"There is a very positive environment of community in the Parchment
district supported by a dedicated, hard working staff," he wrote in a
questionnaire for the Mlive/Kalamazoo Gazette voter guide. "I feel I
bring a
background understanding of the issues of education that helps support
that."

Heaney, 44, of 3677 Rollridge Ave., is a project software
manager and the spouse of a Parchment teacher. He was appointed to the
board in August to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Deb
Coates.

"This is a very challenging time for public schools, in
Michigan and
throughout the country," Heaney wrote for the MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette
voter guide. "Budgets are tight and getting tighter, yet the
demands on our school systems, administrators and staff, are ever
increasing. Sacrifices clearly will need to be made. My goal is to
assure that those sacrifices are shared equally among all who serve the
district, faculty and administration alike, to assure the best possible
outcomes for our students."

Madaras, 46, of 815 Parchmount Ave., is a territory manager for the heating, ventilating and air conditioning firm.